FANTASY FOOTBALL ARTICLES

In all positions, size does matter to at least some degree. Obviously talent is critical but without the size to play in the NFL - does it really matter how fast a player is or how well he can pass the ball? The intent of these positional reviews is to arm yourself with the conventional wisdom about fantasy positions and typically what is successful. There are always exceptions to every rule, but it is nice to know the rule in the first place. There is a surprising amount of consistency in the measureables of star players.

#

Team

2009 Top Ten

Ht.

Wt.

Age

Exp.

1

TEN

Chris Johnson

5'11"

200

24

2

2

MIN

Adrian Peterson

6'1"

217

24

3

3

BAL

Ray Rice

5'8"

205

22

2

4

JAC

Maurice Jones-Drew

5'7"

208

24

4

5

SF

Frank Gore

5'9"

217

26

5

6

MIA

Ricky Williams

5'10"

230

32

9

7

STL

Steven Jackson

6'2"

231

26

6

8

IND

Joseph Addai

5'11"

214

26

4

9

KC

Thomas Jones

5'10"

212

31

10

10

GB

Ryan Grant

6'1"

226

27

3

Average Top 10

5'11"

216

26

5

Height - Though there are taller backs, the average always ends up around 5'10" every year. Height is not a success factor for a running back by any measure.

Weight - Most backs tend to be between 210 and 220 pounds but Chris Johnson's 200 pounds is a notable deviation as is Ray Rice. Smaller backs are more successful lately and getting more opportunities. Consider that 215 would be prototypical and yet three of the top four backs in 2009 were under 210 pounds. That is a new phenomena.

Age/Experience : The average age went up last year and there were no rookies breaking into the top ten. Both Johnson and Rice needed one year of lesser work before bursting on the scene last year. This could be a function of the smaller sized back needing one year of seasoning? Probably like a year of work was needed before the coaches were confident in using them so heavily.

Drafted

Team

Name

Ht.

Wt.

Age

1.09

BUF

C.J. Spiller

5'11"

195

23

1.12

SD

Ryan Mathews

5'11"

215

23

1.30

DET

Jahvid Best

5'10"

195

21

2.19

MIN

Toby Gerhart

6'1"

237

23

2.26

HOU

Ben Tate

5'11"

217

22

2.27

CLE

Montario Hardesty

6'0"

212

23

4.14

NYJ

Joe McKnight

6'0"

200

22

4.27

PHI

Clay Harbor

6'3"

252

22

5.08

NYJ

John Conner

5'11"

240

22

6.04

SF

Anthony Dixon

6'1"

233

23

6.11

JAC

Deji Karim

5'9"

209

22

6.19

PIT

Jonathan Dwyer

6'0"

228

21

6.24

GB

James Starks

6'2"

218

22

6.31

PHI

Charles Scott

6'1"

238

22

Rookies: Knowshon Moreno, Chris Wells and Shonn Greene had some success last year but all three should be looking at increased workloads and bigger stats for 2010. We see two of the three top drafted backs weighing less than 200 pounds and yet going to situations where they should have a chance to succeed. Spiller and Best may end up following the same path as Rice and Chris Johnson in 2009 with their breakouts not happening until 2010. Mathews is the only lock for a heavy load this year.